UPDATE 1-Portuguese government to challenge court's suspension of TAP sale

LISBON, June 3 (Reuters) - The Portuguese government vowed
to press ahead with the sale of airline TAP, despite a court
ruling on Wednesday to suspend the privatisation.

The government has set Friday as the deadline for final,
binding bids in the sale of a 61 percent controlling stake in
flag carrier TAP.

"We have no intention of changing the deadline from Friday
for the proposals," transport secretary Sergio Monteiro told
journalists.

Earlier on Wednesday, Portugal's supreme administrative
court accepted a request for the sale to be suspended on the
grounds that the government failed to contract two independent
institutions to make an evaluation of the airline before its
sale. The action was brought by a citizens' association, which
opposes the sale.

Monteiro said the government would request the court to
invoke a law stating that the sale is of public interest, which
under Portuguese law would overturn the suspension.

The sale is also opposed by some TAP unions and workers.

In May the government picked two Brazil-based aviation
tycoons to bid in the final round: American-Brazilian investor
David Neeleman, who founded U.S. airline JetBlue, and German
Efromovich, who controls Latin America's Avianca.
(Reporting By Sergio Goncalves, writing by Axel Bugge; Editing
by Susan Fenton)